Creating Healing Spaces and Healing Gardens

The medical community has recognized the importance of sacred spaces and healing environments on the healing process. Create a healing place by following a few simple steps.

The Mind-Body-Environment Connection

Researchers within the medical, healthcare and design communities have discovered a connection between the mind, the body and the environment. Studies on hospital patients' healing rates have shown that those patients whose window looked out onto trees required less pain medication than those who looked out on a brick wall.

Dr. Esther Sternberg, author of Healing Spaces and The Balance Within, is one of the researchers exploring the effects of space on mental and physical health. Their studies are showing the connection between patients' physical environment and their ability to heal.

As a result, hospital and healthcare settings are paying more attention and creating healing places for their patients (and staff).

A Quiet Healing Space

From id_charlz

Stress Impacts the Entire Body

The people at University of Minnisota's Center for Spirituality and Healing and the Life Science Foundation are one of these hospitals actively creating a more healing environment at work.

At at University of Minnisota's Center for Spirituality and Healing and the Life Science Foundation they follow one simple guideline when in creating a healing environment, "look for ways to reduce stress in the environment."

Their findings are based on research in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the integrated interactions of the immune, neurologic, endocrine and psychologic systems and their effects on health. Psychoneuroimmunology researchers explore how the brain and nervous system interact with the body, the endocrine and immune system.

Stress impacts all of these different systems in the body and can affect the healing and recovery process. Reducing stress, by creating a healing environment, aids greatly in the healing process.

The Need for a Healing Place

Esther Sternberg MD on Healing Spaces

The Science of Place and Well-Being

Explore Healing Spaces

Place can trigger the brain's own healing processes.

I was fortunate to hear Dr. Esther Sternberg present a grand rounds on "Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being" as part of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. (I attended as a webinar).

In her talk, Dr. Sternberg examined how the brain and the immune systems respond to stress and how stress can impeed the healing process by worsening illness. By understanding in more detail, how the brain contributes to the healing process (the field of psychoneuroimmunology) we can enhance our health by creating healing spaces.

She looked at how hospital designs are being changed to incorporate elements of nature and light amd reducing noise to promote health and reduce stress. She also offered several therapeutic interventions, considered to be complementary therapies, that could be used to reduce stress.

Dr. Sternberg's lecture is available through the University of Arizona by following the link below.

Online Lecture on Healing Spaces

Integrative Medicine Grand Rounds

Healing Spaces:The Science of Place and Well-beingThe presentation will address how the science of the mind-body connection explains phenomena such as how stress can make one sick, how belief can help healing, how the social world affects health, with a particular focus on how the physical environment can affect the emotions, and in turn help healing or potentially harm. Understanding these concepts will allow health care providers to judge how and when to judiciously apply mind-body therapies in conjunction with classical therapeutic approaches to maintain health.

Tips to Create a Healing Space in the Hospital

The first think to try and do is to get a private room. Not only will this cut down on excess noise, but patient's in private rooms have lower infection rates.

Work with the hospital staff to see what types of outside items are allowed in the room. There may be some restrictions due to health concerns of other patients. Bringing in some positive distractions helps to create a more personalized healing space within the hospital.

Music - Bring in relaxing music for the patient, and within reason their favorite music (perhaps with head phones)

Videos - Videos are a great way to distract patients. Watching funny films and laughing has been shown to help in the healing process. There are also videos specifically created for relaxation, with nature photos and relaxing music.

Pets - Check to see if pets can visit. They may be able to visit in an outdoor area.

Getting Outdoors - Many hospitals have outdoor gardens. See if the patient can go to the gardens or outside when they are able.

Bringing Outdoors Inside- If the windows open, you may be able to bring a bit of the outdoors inside, if not, get the patient near a window with a view of nature.

There are a few things to consider to eliminate some of the environmental stressors inherent in the hospital setting.

Smells - Disinfectants are used throughout the hospital setting. Aromatherapy can block out the negative hospital smells e.g. essential oils on cotton ball, stress-reducing lotions

Noise - Ear plugs can block out sounds. A small fan can provide white background noise

Lighting - Use outside lighting if possible. Bring in other natural lights, if able.

By working with the hospital staff you can help creat a healing space within the hospital.

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Healing Comes from Nature

"The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.

Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind."

Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus

Create a Healing Space in the Exam Room Video

With Luke Fortney, MD from the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program

Tips to Create a Healing Space in the Exam Room

Integrative medicine practitioners are consciously looking for ways to create a calming, healing environment for exam rooms and within the medical office. They want their patients to feel safe coming to their practice. They also want an enviroment that will improve the healing process.

Dr. Luke Fortney from the University of Wisconsin's Integrative Medicine Program offers these suggestions for to turn an exam room into a healing space with by just including a few simple elements and taking care to remove a few others.

Bring in elements of nature

Push away technical elements e.g. phones, computers

Include calming colors and natural light

Reduce noise polution and noise distractions e.g. pagers, pages

These suggestions could even be applied to other business settings to create a more calming space for holding business meetings.

One quick and easy way to bring in nature elements is by using wall stickers or decals with soothing nature imagery.

A Calming Waiting Area

From Vixs

More on Healing Spaces

What Can I Do to Create a Healing Environment?There is one simple guideline to follow in creating a healing environment: look for ways to reduce stress in the environment. This is based on research from the field of psychoneuroimmunology that shows how emotional stress impacts our bodies in multiple ways.

Making Places, Healing SpacesThe Canadian healthcare system has enjoyed a longstanding reputation for being one of the best in the world. Part of this recognition is based on the fact that pre-eminent Canadian hospitals intentionally draw on regional or natural themes to create meaningful and relevant designs. As a result, several examples have risen to international attention by addressing both the innate human desire to connect with natural surroundings and the necessity to deliver technologically advanced medical infrastructure.

Healing Spaces / Healing GardensThere is a lot out there on healing spaces....When architects and sociologists and others look at what it takes to create healing environments (what I term 'Hospital Makeovers') they end up describing a garden.

A Healing Meditation Garden

From Renaudeh

Gardens Can Impact People's Psyches

“Everything I do, whether for a hospital, a business, or a residence, is about comfort, healing, and faith.

When I was beginning my career, landscape design appealed to me as a form of sculpture and as a way of showing my commitment to the environment. It seemed to be the perfect combination of art and civic responsibility.

What I have realized along the way is the tremendous power gardens can have on people’s psyches.”

More on Creating Sacred Spaces and Healing Places

Create a Healing Environment for YourselfA place to call your own, and to use as your personal sanctuary, can be a comforting touchstone during the cancer journey. Even if it's only a shelf or table top, or perhaps a small room, creating a sacred space for yourself, and incorporating it into your daily life, can be a wonderful gift.

Healing Gardens Video

From California Heartlands

More on California Heartlands Healing Gardens Episode

California Heartlands Episode 919 - Healing GardensThroughout history gardens have served as a place of healing and hope. Landscape artist Topher Delaney shows us the unique connection between the cycles of life and plants through healing gardens. One of Delaney’s most prized gardens is the “Blue Garden” where her planted creation honors the life of fallen Bayview Police Officer Isaac Espinoza.
California Heartland’s Rob Stewart meets Delaney at her well-known studio in San Francisco called, Seam Studio.

Elements to Include in a Healing Space

While each healing space or healing garden created may be unique, there are some common elements that are mentioned when thinking about creating a healing space.

Authors of the article "Multi sensory Healing : Learning from Seductive Design of Contemporary Consumption Spaces" presentation recommend including the following external areas when creating a healing space:

Colors

Textures and Touch

Nature

View

Lighting

SoundsMusic

Smell, Aroma

Art

Other elements to include are Water (if people find the sound of water soothing), favorite or beloved objects (like photographs, mementos, candles) and healing rituals.

Add Nature Wall Decals, Relaxation Fountain and Aromatherapy Candles

More on Healing Gardens

Healing Garden - Kernan HospitalThe Healing Garden at Kernan Hospital provides a unique environment for patients, families, staff and visitors. It has been designed as a therapeutic tool for teaching our patients how to deal with physical challenges as they transition into the community, and renew interest in the leisure activity of gardening.

What Are Healing Gardens?The term healing gardens is most often applied to green spaces in hospitals and other healthcare facilities that specifically aim to improve health outcomes. These gardens provide a place of refuge and promote healing in patients, families, and staff.

Healing Garden at St. Luke's Hospital MilwaukeeAurora Health Care's St. Luke's Medical Center is a Milwaukee hospital that opened its healing garden in June to help care for body, mind and spirit.

Healing Garden on FlickrThe Healing Garden at the UCSF Women's Health Center at Mount Zion provides patients, family and friends the opportunity to reflect and focus. The garden, located on the first floor of the center.

Botanical wall art on FlickrIn a UCSF medical building on Sutter off of Divisidero, San Francisco, CA. An entire wall was filled with tiles like this, all of them apparently different.